The University of Sheffield
Department of Animal and Plant Sciences

Current opportunities for graduate study in APS

Projects for PhD Studentships Commencing October 2012

The department currently has around 100 PhD students. These students are funded mainly by the UK Research Councils, University Scholarships, Industry and from overseas. We are currently seeking applications for studentships in all areas of the department's research interests. 

The specific projects listed below are for Research Council and University Studentships commencing in October 2012. 

PLEASE NOTE: Research Council and University Studentships are only available to UK/EC students. Non-EU overseas students should go to the Research topics page and use the topic areas on that page as a starting point to identify suitable supervisors and project areas, then contact us directly to discuss possible projects.

Feel free to contact the individual members of staff below with any enquiries you may have about the project prior to application.  If you wish to apply for a project then please do so through the University's online application system.  Applications should be made as soon as possible.
NEW STUDENTSHIPS AVAILABLE 2012
Project Title Supervisor Co-Supervisor/s
The secret to living fast: why do some plants grow faster than others? Dr Colin Osborne Professor Mark Rees
Sharing resources to promote diversity: do co-existing plants use different forms of phosphorus to reduce competition for nutrients? Dr Gareth Phoenix Dr Duncan Cameron
Optimising Leaf Function for a Changing Environment Professor Andrew Fleming Dr Stephen Rolfe
The molecular ecology of stress:developmental plasticity in the face of predators, pathogens and climate change. Dr Andrew Beckerman
Identifying the molecular genetic ‘toolkit’ underpinning the leaf-based proxy for reconstructing Earth’s ancient CO2 history Professor David Beerling Professor Andrew Fleming
Personalities and fitness in the Seychelles warbler Professor Terry Burke Dr Hannah Dugdale

Functional traits and the resilience of deep-sea ecosystems to environmental and human–induced change

 Dr Julia Blanchard Dr Andrew Beckerman
From salmon to sewage and back again: can ecological history inform future management? Dr P H Warren Professor L Maltby
Population dynamics and complex changes in the environment: what can we predict? Dr Dylan Childs Dr P Warren
Investment strategies of parents and helpers in a cooperatively breeding bird Professor Ben Hatchwell
How does colonization of roots by mycorrhizal fungi suppress infection by root parasitic weeds: a role for strigolactones? Professor Julie Scholes Dr Duncan Cameron
Developing population genomic tools for analyzing next-generation sequencing data Dr Kai Zeng Dr Jon Slate
The conservation of tropical forests in fragmented landscapes: from diversity to ecosystem function Professor R Freckleton Professor Julie Scholes
Do parasitic weeds ‘hijack’ host hormone pathways to regulate the parasite infection process and the subsequent ‘reprogramming’ of host development? Professor Julie Scholes
Insect Immunity Professor Michael Siva-Jothy
Making sperm: the energetic cost of testes and sperm Professor Tim Birkhead Dr Joachim Wistuba (University of Munster, Germany), Dr Chad Smith (University of Sheffield)
Post-copulatory sexual selection and the evolution of reproductive tracts Professor Tim Birkhead Dr Nicola Hemmings
Behavioural and endocrine analysis of stress responses and the roles of epigenetic mechanisms in developmental plasticity of stress phenotypes in zebrafish Dr Penny Watt Dr Marysia Placzek
Insect biodiversity and reproductive trait evolution Dr Rhonda Snook -